Top feed and presser means for sewing machines



March 6, 1951 F. w. BECK ET AL TOP FEED AND'PRESSER MEANS FOR SEWINGMACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 50, 1949 INVENTORS. FREDERICK W.BECK RICHARD J. BABKA RICHARD H. LUKINS ATTORNEY.

March 6, 1951 F. w. BECK ET AL TOP FEED AND PRESSER MEANS FOR SEWINGMACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 30, 1949 FIG.2

INVENTORS. FREDERICK W. BECK ATTORNEY.

RICHARD J. BABKA RICHARD H. LUKINS March 6, 1951 F. w. BECK ET AL2,544,549

TOP FEED AND PRESSER MEANS FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 30, 1949 5Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS. FREDERICK W. BECK RICHARD J. BABKA RICHARD H.LUKINS ATTORNEY 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 F. W. BECK ET AL TOP FEED AND PRESSERMEANS FOR SEWING MACHINES March 6, 1951 Filed Dec.

INVENTORS. FREDERICK W. BECK ATTORNEY.

RICHARD J. BABKA RICHARD H. LUKINS arch 6, 1951 F. w. BECK ET AL TOPFEED AND PRESSER' MEANS FOR SEWING MACHINES 5 Sheets-$heet 5 Filed Dec.30, 1949 INVENTORE FREDERICK W. BECK RICHARD J. BABKA RICHARD H. LUKINSATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TOP FEED ANT) PRESSER MEANS FOR SEWING "MACHINE 8 Frederick W. Beck;Webster Grove, and Richard John Babka, St.-Louis, Mo., and Richard H.Lukins, Chicago, 111., assignorsto Union Special Machine Company,Qhicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 30, 1949'Serial No.-135,-968

12 Claims. 7 (Cl. 112-214) This invention relates to a top roller feedmechanism .and associated presser foot mounting for sewing machines.More particularly it relates to an arrangement in which a driven feedroller is provided as an auxiliary feeding means for a portion of thework being fed by the action of a four motion feeddog. It is especiallysuited for the handling of workwhich presents an extrathickness ofmaterial in a portion being fed past the stitchin point, as'in thestitching down of waist band curtains on pants, run stitching and topstitching of collars and cuffs on shirts, attaching collar bands to thecollars of shirts, and the like. The invention may, however, ,be' usedadvantageously for other purposes.

A primary object of the invention has been to provide presser means andtop feeding means which are of simple and inexpensive construction butreliable in their operations and which will insure proper and uniformfeeding of work involving different thicknesses of material in differentregions.

One feature of the inventionis an improved mounting for a top feedroller andapresser foot, by which each is capable of independent upwardand downward movement in riding over work of different thicknesses. Theconstruction is such that lateral adjustment of the presser means inrelation to the roller feed means is-readily effected. This may be used,for example, to eliminate the necessity of-fine tolerances in theformation of the parts andto permit'easy compensation for wear of theparts.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of simple buteifectlve means for preventing relative turning between independentlyslidable members which support the roller feed means and the pressermeans and for maintaining these parts in proper alinement with thedirection of seam formation.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of simple andreadily adjustable means for limiting the relative bodily movementbetween the roller feed means and the presser means, whereby the desiredindependent bodily movement of these parts is permitted and their bodilymovement in unison is brought about after a predetermined extent ofindependent movement.

Still another feature of the invention is the provision of simple butefiectivemeans for applying sprin pressures of diiferentmagnitudeto aplurality of presser members and a roller feed member, the arrangementbeing such that the eifectof the severalpressure applying means may b pr ssive y exe ted upon-one 'f themembers 2 I after the latter haspartaken of different extents of movement in relation to another.or-the.mem hers.

In attaining the foregoing objects and advantages the inventioncontemplates the provision of a unitary assembly in whichrollerfeed-means and one or more presser membersare separately e l d, hess m mbe o memb s b in connected with a rod .or bar which is concentricwit a pre era ly te esc ed w th, a p esse bar which carries the feedroller.

Other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will appearfrom the detailed descript o o an illustrative o m o the inveniienwhiqwill now be given in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which;

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the machine, as seen from the leftin Fig. 1, with the cover plate for the needle headremoved;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the machine;

Fig. 4 is a detail view in vertical section through the drivingmeans'for the .top feed roller;

Fig. 5 is a detail view in transverse vertical section through a portionof the roller driving mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view alongthe line 6+5 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a detail view, partly, in elevationand partlyjin verticalsection, showing the unitary assembly including a top rollerfeed meansand presser means together with supportingand retaining means therefor;

Fig. 8 is a detail view, in, side elevation, of a portion of the partsshown inFig. 7 and is taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. .7;

Fig. 9 is a similar elevational view taken in" the opposite direction,along the line 9- 9 .of Fig. {7, a portion of the presser foot being'broken away to illustrate a detail of the construction; and

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 showings. modified form of presserfoot which may be employed.

Referring now to the drawings, .the invention has been shown applied tolock stitch machine of the type disclosed in the patent to Sauer .etal., No. 2,035,508, granted Ma -ch31, 1936, and the patent toChristensen et al., No. 2,ll3,5 72 granted April 12, 1938. It embodies aframe'having a base portion ill a vertical standard H rising from oneend of the base, an overhanging arm'lZ, extending laterally from theupper end of'the vertical standard, and a needle head I; provided 1tion. 1 erably a four motion feed dog 2! (Fig. 2) mount- 3 at the freeend of the overhanging arm. As disclosed in said Sauer et al. andChristensen et al. patents the machine is provided with two main rotaryshafts i i (Fig. 2) and 55 (Fig. 3) extending longitudinally of theoverhanging arm and of the base, respectively. These shafts areinterconnected by suitable gearing or the like (not shown) within thestandard ll. shaft is arranged to be driven from any suitable sourcethrough a combined hand-wheel and pulley Hia mounted on the outer endthereof. Within the needle head there is mounted, for verticalreciprocation, a needle bar l5 arranged to be driven by a crank, carriedby the upper main shaft, through a link H connected with a collar 58secured to the needle bar. Cooperating with the needle in stitchformation is a rotary hook H) which, as explained in said Sauer et al.and Christensen et a1. patents, has a rotary component adapted to berotated at twice the angular speed of the main shaft l5 of the machine,through suitable gearing in a housing 20. Means, of any appropriatecharacter, are provided for feeding the work in the course of stitchforma- The primary work feeding means is prefed on a feed bar 22 adaptedto be lifted and lowered by means of an eccentric, at the end of theshaft 15, cooperating with a strap portion of a link'23 connected with adownwardl extending arm of the feed bar. The latter is rockably mountedon a feed rocker 24 (Figs. 2 and3) arranged to be rocked by an eccentricon the shaft i5 cooperating with a strap 25 of a telescoping pitman 26,connected at its opposite end with the feed rocker. Feed and returnmovements are imparted to the feed dog through these connections, in themanner more fully explained in the Sauer et al. patent above mentioned.Means are also provided for adjusting the length of the feed stroke inaccordance with the disclosure of said patent, such means including anadjustable rock shaft connected with the pitman 26 through a pair ofarms 28-. For further explanation as to the construction and operationof the foregoing parts of'the machine, reference may be had to saidSaueret a1. and Christensen et a1. patents.

Cooperating with the work on the upper side, to assist the action of thefeed dog in advancing the work, is a presser foot 29 (Figs. 1, 2, '7 and9) pivotally mounted, in a manner to be explained, on a shank 35 securedby a set-screw 'e'l to the 'lower end of a vertically disposed andslidable rod 32. Also cooperating with the work above the feed dog,adjacent the presser foot 29 and at one side thereof, is a feed wheel 33mounted for rotation in a yoke 35 having forked extensions 35 and 36arranged to be clamped together by a screw 3? about the lower end of ahollow presser bar 38. The latter surrounds and serves to guide the upand down movements of the rod 32. Presser bar 3% is mounted for verticalsliding "movement in suitable bearings carried by the needle head l3.The upper bearing is preferably in the form of a screw threaded leeve 39adapted to be rotated, through a knurled head 58, to adjust its verticalposition in relation to the top of the needle head. A spring 4|surrounding the presser bar is compressed between the lower end of thesleeve 35 and a collar Q2 secured, by a set screw 43, to the presserbar. Spring M thus serves to urge the presser bar downwardly under aspring pressure determined by the adjustment of the sleeve 39. A lateralextension id of the collar 33 cooperates with a The upper main slot inthe rear wall of the needle head to prevent turning of the needle bar ina manner well known. A screw threaded plug 45, cooperating with internalthreads at the upper end of the presser bar, may be adjusted to anydesired vertical position in relation to the bar to vary the tension ofa spring 45 within the presser bar. This spring is compressed betweenthe lower end of the plug and the top of the rod 32 and thus serves tourge the rod and the connected presser foot downwardly under a pressuredetermined by the adjustment of plug 45, regardless of the pressureexerted by the spring 4|. It should be understood, however, that theforce applied by spring M is substantially greater than that applied bythe spring 45.

For supporting the feed wheel 33, the yoke 34 has a forked lower endproviding branches 4? and 48 adapted to receive and clamp a bearingsleeve 49. A screw 50 is provided to impart the desired clamping forceto the extensions 4'! and 48. A shaft 5i, journaled in the bearing 59,has an enlarged head 52 to which is secured the feed wheel 33 in anysuitable manner. t its opposite end the shaft 5i carries a member 53(Fig. 4) forming part of a universal coupling. A stud 54 is rockablymounted in spaced arms of the member 53 and is connected by a pin 55with a complemental member 56 of the universal coupling. Member 55 isformed integral with, or otherwise connected with, a shaft extension 5'!which carries a similar universal coupling member 58 at its oppositeend. The latter is pivotally connected by means of a pin 59 with a stud65 rockably mounted in spaced arms of another complemental member 6| ofthe universal coupling. Member 5! is secured to a shaft 52 mounted in abearing extension 83 of a clutch housing 64. Within the clutch housing,the shaft 52 has secured thereto a pinion 55 which meshes with a gear 66secured to a shaft 6'! journaled in the housing. Intermediate its ends,the shaft 61 has secured thereto a clutch sleeve 68 having a cup shapedportion arranged to receive driving rollers 65 of a one-way cl-utchunit. These rollers cooperate with a plate 18 secured to a disc llrcckably mounted on the shaft 61. A laterally extending arm 12 of thedisc has an elongated slot to receive, adjustably, a ball pin 73connected by a p-itman M with an eccentric on the shaft I5. Pitman M hasa strap portion 75 surrounding the eccentric. It will be apparent thatupon rotation of the shaft l5, the arm 12, and hence the disc ii andplate 15, will be oscillated through an angular distance which may bevaried by clamping the pin 13 at any desired point along the elongatedslot. As will be understood, the movement of the parts in one directionwill impart a corre: sponding movement to the sleeve 68 through therollers 59. Movement of the sleeve in the opposite direction isprevented by rollers similar to the rollers 69 cooperating with theinner surface of another cup-like portion of the sleeve 58 and with aplate l6, similar to the plate 16. Plate 16 is secured to a disc T!which is held against rotation by engagement of a pin 18, fixedlymounted in the housing 64, with a notch 19 in the periphery of the disc.

Housing 64 may be secured to the upper or work supporting surface of thebase portion ll] of the frame in any suitable way, but it is preferablymounted for slight tilting movement by means of an adjusting screw sothat the the work supporting surface of the base may age harm bevari'edaslightlwal: The universalscouplingmeansz (parts 53 -too6l Vinclusive) are preferably; en-. closed by a sleeve 8i.Thislimayssuitably :be formed of a flexible and-stretchable; material,such aswrubberoraza suitable plastic, 'so.as .to closely surroundxth'eoparts without, however,1 interfering withfithe necessary relativeangular, movement of the partsa. It lmay,. 1ho.w.ever,. be formed ofmetal, if desired, in which casezadequate =clearance must be provided,:in relation to-the enclosed coupling parts,.:to permit thenecessaryrelative angular movementsals Yoke- 34 is 1 provided; withsa'horizontallym'extending "guide channel or groove 82 in. its rear wardlyfacing surface; to-receive 'an'd guide the inner end of ahorizontallyextending arm ttof an angle member: Arm83. may beadjustedalong the channel 82 to :any desired position, within suitablelimits; and then clamped in'set position by a screw B t -which passesthrough an elongated or enlargedppening 85 in-the arm 83*and' isthreadedinto a hole in the yoke 34. A vertically disposedarm 86*of theangle-memberis rabbeted to provide a'guide ridge or flange 81 arrangedto cooperate-with one edge-ofa vertically adjustable member 88;The--latter.is provided with an elongated slot 89 arranged-to receive ascrew 99*, the inner end of which is threaded-into a hole-in-the arm 83.Member 88- has an inwardly bent finger 9| at its lower endarrangedtounderlie'one'of the-forked end portions 92 of a member'93 formedintegral with; or-otherv/ise'securedto, the-rod'-32. The forkedextensions 92-cooperatewith the opposite faces of the" arm 89 to preventturning of" the rod 32 while permitting up and down movement of thelatter; Finger 9| cooperates with theforked extension 92 to limit thedownwardmovementof the rod 32 in relationto presser bar 38 when thelatter 'is 'lifted'from' thework in' the manner to be explained.The'extent of this downward relative movement may be adjusted; to suitthe particular requirementsof "the Work; by-raising or loweringtheposition of the member 88'-on the arm 83. It mayalso be variedby-changing thevertical position oftheyoke 34 in relation to the presserbar 38." Thehorizontaladjust ment' of the arm'83 in the channel 82eliminates the necessity-of extreme tolerancesin'the forma-' tion'of theparts. It'also permits'take-up for wear. Moreover, the separateformation I of the angle member-allows "it to ""be' readily replacedwhen worn excessively, without the necessity of discarding the entireyoke member.

Presser foot 29, as bestshown in Fig. 9, has a forward, upwardly curvedportion, which is solid across the width of the foot,and in rearof thisit is formed with a pair of spaced'vertical walls- 29a which cooperatewith opposite side faces of the yoke 39; The'foot is pivotallymounted onthe yoke'by a pin 29b extending through'the walls 29a and through a lug30a in the'yoke positioned between the arms 2911-. Within the spacebetween the walls 2900 there is mounted a small auxiliary presser foot94 which is carried at the lower end of a rod 95 that is slidablevertically in an openingthrough a portion of the yoke 39. A pin' 96extendingthrough the rod 95, adjacent its upper end; cooperates withslots 97 in the yoke to prevent rotation of the foot 94 and to limit itsdownward movement, in relation to the yoke and'the presser" foot 29. Aspring 98 surrounding the rod 95; in asocket' formed in thelower'portion'of the'yoke, 'urges the section- 94 downwardly;

It :will; :ben'apparent :that awhemthe'zroller feed andpresserlrfootz,-assembly is urgeddownwardly into: engagement with l the.work ether-section .94 will firstiengagethe work and will.bea-forcedupwardly," against therelatively= light" resistance: ofthe'spring 98, until the'aunder surfacepf sece tion 94 is flush .withlthe 1 under surface of the feed dog 29, or, under some circumstances,until the --upper surface. of seetionh94 engages the undersurface of thelug-39a of the yoke. 1Wherr the presser -foot 2 9 engages lthe work litwill be forcedi upwardly i and the rad 321will 'compress spring 4 9until the i roller 33 is finally brought intoengagement with thework.'--The roller will then be urged against the work under: the forceof thespring 4|; while'presser. f00t-29 Wi-11 be' urged against the workthe force of the partially :compressed spring 46 and section :94 will beurged against-the work-bythe force ofthe spring 98. Thus, normally threedifi'e'rent pressures are exerted-'uponthe work Should some partof thework of extra thickness pass beneath the section 94- wh-ile a thinnersection ofthe-work is beneath the foot 29-, so that the section94 isbrought-into engagement with the lugsea, the "pressure"exerted-'- on"section-94 will be" derived from the spring '46; Moreover it ispossible," by appropriate adjustment of theyoke 34-inrelation to thepresserbar-38i to-so reducethe relatively upwa-rd movementbetween therod 32"an'cl' bar "38 that anextra thickness" of work passing beneaththesection' 94*will cause-lifting of the'latter firstlyto'engagetheshaink-Sfi of the presser footi'and lift this'againstthe'action of'spring 46; and then .to lift the presser bar "99against the i action of spring 4 l 1 due to engage ment'of themember'93" with the lower end'of the presser bar. 'Iherefore,"while the'feed' wheel and 'twopresser foot members 'or sections are normallysubjected. to three different" pressures; it is possible, under somecircumstances, toexert the pressure'of -the spring'4l on'any'one or moreof'these members? Onefadvantage of providing the independently movablesection 94, with its relatively light down ward pressure, is that thisenables the lifting of the .feed wheel and presser foot assembly; in themanner to'be explained,"tojust a sufficient extent 'toraise the 'feedwheel and presser foot 29""from the surface of the work Whilesection 94still engages the work. This facilitates tacking' operations an'd'th'e'like;

In'.Fig..10"there is showna simplerform of presser foot H10 which is ofihtegralconstruction and simply attached to the lower end of the rod32'by means of a screw lfll; In other respects the. modifiedconstruction of Fig. 10may be the same as that of Figs. 7, 8 and 9;

I For lifting the combined feed wheel and presserfoot unit, a collar I02is slidably mounted on the presser bar 38 (Fig. 2) this collar having alaterally extending arm lll3at its upper end adapted to be engaged by acam formed on a hand'lever I94. This hand lever will ordinarily be usedonly whenit is'desired' to retain the unitelevated for a substantialperiod of time. For lifting the feed wheel and presser assemblymomentarilyin the course of operation of the machine, connections arepreferably provided to a kneepress or foot treadle; These 'may'include alink I05 connected'at its lower end with the collar I02 and at its upperendwith the forward endof a lever I 06. The latter is pivoted,intermediate its ends, within-thehollow arm of the-machine. Atitsrearward end-'(Fig; 2)-the 7 lever carries a stud I01 which projectsoutwardly from the rear face of the overhanging arm and is connected bya rod I08 with suitable means operated by a knee press or foot treadle.For a fuller disclosure of a suitable arrangement of this character,reference may be had to the patent to Rubel No. 2,373,418, granted April10, 1945.

When the presser bar 38 is lifted in either of the ways explained itwill first raise the feed wheel from the surface of the work, or thework support While spring 46 will still keep the presser foot inengagement with the work. However, when the finger 9| engages the undersurface of member 93 the rod 32 will also be lifted, upon the continuedupward movement of the presser bar, to raise the presser foot from thework. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the section94 will still engage the work as the main presser foot 29 is lifted fromit but when the pin 96 reaches the bottom of the slot 91, the section 94will be raised from the Work on the continued upward movement of the bar38.

It should be noted that the presser bar 38, rod 32, feed wheel 33,presser foot 29, section 94 and the various related parts constitute aseparate assembly of simple, compact and relatively inexpensiveconstruction. This unit may be readily applied to the needle head toprovide the desired presser action and top feed on the work in theregion of stitch formation. The arrangement is preferably such that thepath of the needle intersects the axis of rotation of the feed wheel,and the needle passes through a suitable opening provided in or betweenthe rearward edge of the upwardly curved portion of the main presserfoot member 29 and the forward edge of the section 94. These edges ofthe presser foot elements may simply be notched to provide complementalparts of a suitable needle opening. As explained, the feed Wheel 33preferably overlies and coacts with a portion of the under feed-dog but,if desired, it may coact simply with the surface of the throat plate orwith a special spring element or flexible tongue of the type disclosedin said patent to Kucera No. 2,265,605.

While an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been disclosed inconsiderable detail and several modifications have been suggested,

it will be understood that other changes may be made in the constructionand arrangement of the various parts, without departing from the generalprinciples and scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. In a sewing machine, work feeding devices comprising a four motionfeed dog arranged to engage the under surface of the work andintermittently advance the same, vertically movable presser meansarranged to engage the upper surface of the work in opposition to saidfeed dog, a vertically movable feed wheel adjacent said presser meansalso arranged to engage the upper surface of the work, supporting meansincluding a spring urged presser bar rigidly connected with said feedwheel for retainin the same and urging it against the work, said pressermeans being mounted for relative sliding movement on said supportingmeans, spring means reacting between said presser bar and said pressermeans for urging the latter against the work independently of the forceapplied to said presser bar, means for rotating said feed wheelintermittently, and means carried by said presser means cooperating withsaid supporting means for guiding said presser means and preventingturning thereof in its movements relative to said supporting means.

2. In a sewing machine, work feeding devices comprising a four motionfeed dog arranged to engage the under surface of the work andintermittently advance the same, vertically movable presser meansarranged to engage the upper surface of the work in opposition to saidfeed dog, a vertically movable feed wheel adjacent said presser meansalso arranged to engage the upper surface of the work, supporting meansincluding a sprin urged presser bar rigidly connected with said feedwheel for retaining the same and urging it against the work, saidpresser means being mounted for relative sliding movement on saidsupporting means, spring means reacting between said presser bar andsaid presser means for'urging the latter against the work independentlyof the force applied to said presser bar, means for rotating said feedwheel intermittently, a vertically disposed guide member adjustablymounted on said supporting means, and means carried by said pressermeans cooperating with said guide member to prevent turning of saidpresser means.

3. In a sewing machine, work feeding devices comprising a four motionfeed dog arranged to engage theunder surface of the work andintermittently advance the same vertically movable presser meansarranged to engage the upper surface of the work in opposition to saidfeed dog, a vertically movable feed wheel adjacent said presser meansalso arranged to engage the upper surface of the work, supporting meansincluding a spring urged presser bar rigidly connected with said feedwheel for retaining the same and urging it against the work, saidpresser means being mounted for relative sliding movement on saidsupporting means, spring means reacting between said presser bar andsaid presser means for urging the latter against the work independentlyof the force applied to said presser bar, means for rotating said feedwheel intermittently, a vertically disposed guide member mounted forlateral adjustment on said supporting means, a stop member mounted forvertical adjustment on said supporting means, and means carried by saidpresser means cooperating with said guide member and said stop memberfor preventing turning of said presser means and limiting the movementthereof in relation to said supporting means.

4. In a sewing machine, work feeding devices comprising a four motionfeed dog arranged to engage the under surface of the work andintermittently advance the same, and a combined topfeed and presser unitcooperating with said feed dog, said unit comprising a hollowpresserbar, a spring urging said bar toward the work, means for liftingsaid bar away from the work, a support secured to said presser bar, afeed wheel journaled on said support, means for rotating said feed wheelintermittently, a rod slidably mounted within said bar, spring means forurging said rod downwardly within said bar, a presser foot carried bysaid rod, and relatively adjustable means on said support and rod forpreventing turning of the latter within said bar.

5. In a sewing machine, work feeding devices comprising a four motionfeed dog arranged to engage the under surface of the work andintermittently advance the same, and a combined topfeed and presser unitcooperating with said feed dog, said unit comprising a hollow presserbar,

a springurging"saidibarrtowardithenworkrmeans';

for. .liftingrsaid barraway; from the1work, arsupport secured ;tosaidcrpresserlbar; a: feed 'rwheel journaled on said support, means for.rotating said feed wheel intermittently, a rod slidably mounted.within'saidi'bar; spring means for ur ing said'rodidownwardly withinsaid bar, adjustable means for variably limiting the downward movementof said: rd;:..a.:presser;-foot carried by said rod, and relativelyadjustable means on said support and rod for preventing turning of thelatter within said bar.

6. In a sewing machine, work feeding devices comprising a four motionfeed dog arranged to engage the under surface of the work andintermittently advance the same, and a combined topfeed and presser unitcooperating with said feed dog, said unit comprising a hollow presserbar, a spring urging said bar toward the work, means for lifting saidbar away from the work, a support secured to said presser bar, a feedwheel j ournaled on said support, means for rotating said feed wheelintermittently, a rod slidably mounted within said bar, spring means forurging said rod downwardly within said bar, a presser foot carried bysaid rod, and a member mounted on said support and adjustable laterallyof the axis of said rod, and cooperating guide means carried by saidmember and rod, respectively, for preventing relative turning betweensaid rod and bar.

'7. In a sewing machine, work feeding devices comprising a four motionfeed dog arranged to engage the under surface of the work andintermittently advance the same, and a combined topfeed and presser unitcooperating with said feed dog, said unit comprising a hollow presserbar, a spring urging said bar toward the work, means for lifting saidbar away from the work, a support secured to said presser bar, a feedwheel j ournaled on said support, means for rotating said feed wheelintermittently, a rod slidablymounted within said bar, spring means forurging said rod downwardly within said bar, a presser foot carried bysaid rod, and a member mounted on said support and adjustable laterallyof the axis of said rod, means mounted for vertical adjustment on saidmember and providing a stop for variably limiting the downward movementof said rod relative to said bar, and cooperating guide means carried bysaid member and rod, respectively, for preventing relative turningbetween said rod and bar.

8. In a sewing machine, work feeding devices comprising a four motionfeed dog arranged to engage the under surface of the work andintermittently advance the same, and a combined topfeed and presser unitcooperating with said feed dog, said unit comprising a hollow presserbar, a spring urging said bar toward the work, means for lifting saidbar away from the work, a support secured to said presser bar, a' feedwheel journaled on said support, means for rotating said feed wheelintermittently, a rod slidably mounted within said bar, spring means forurging said rod downwardly within said bar, a presser foot shank securedto said rod, a presser foot pivotally mounted on said shank, a presserelement slidably mounted on said shank, and a spring coacting betweensaid element and shank for urging said element downwardly in relation tosaid shank.

9. In a sewing machine, work feeding devices comprising a four motionfeed dog arranged to engage the under surface of the work andintermittently advance the same, and a combined top feedxand-presserunit-.- cooperating :with said feed dog, said unitecomprising a hollowpresser bar, .a

journaled on said support, means for rotating said Y feediwheelintermittently, a rod slidablyjmounted within: said .bar; springmeansfor urging. said rod downwardly withinsaid'bar, a presser footshank securedto. said rod; a presser foot pivotally mounted on saidshank, a presser element slidably mounted on said shank, a springcoacting between said element and shank for urging said elementdownwardly in relation to said shank, and stop means for limiting thedownward movement of said rod in relation to said bar and of saidelement in relation to said shank, the relation being such that whensaid bar is lifted the work engaging portion of said element is lowerthan that of said presserfoot and the work engaging portion of saidpresser foot is lower than that of said feed wheel.

10. In a sewing machine, work feeding devices comprising a four motionfeed dog arranged to engage the under surface of the work andintermittently advance the same, and a combined top-feed and presserunit cooperating with said feed dog, said unit comprising a hollowpresser bar, a spring urging said bar toward the work, means for liftingsaid bar away from the work, a support secured to said presser bar, afeed wheel journaled on said support, means for rotating said feed wheelintermittently, a rod slidably mounted within said bar, spring means forurging said rod downwardly within said bar, a presser foot shank securedto said rod, a presser foot pivotally mounted on said shank, a presserelement slidably mounted on said shank, a spring coacting between saidelement and shank for urging said element downwardly in relation to saidshank, and stop means for limiting the downward movement of said rod inrelation to said bar and of said element in relation to said shank, apart of said stop means being adjustable vertically to vary the lowerlimit of said rod in relation to said bar, the relation being such thatwhen said bar is lifted the work engaging portion of said element islower than that of said presser foot and the work engaging portion ofsaid presser foot is lower than that of said feed wheel.

11. In a sewing machine, work feeding devices comprising a four motionfeed dog arranged to engage the under surface of the work andintermittently advance the same, and a combined top-feed and presserunit cooperating with said feed dog, said unit comprising a hollowpresser bar, a spring surrounding said bar urging said bar toward thework, means for lifting said bar away from the work, a support securedto said presser bar, a feed wheel journaled on said support, means forrotating said feed wheel intermittently, a rod slidably mounted withinsaid bar, a spring within said bar urging said rod downwardly, means foradjusting the tension of said springs independently of each other, apresser foot carried by said rod, and adjustable means on said supportfor variably limiting the downward movement of said rod in relation tosaid bar.

12. In a sewing machine, work feeding devices comprising a four motionfeed dog arranged to engage the under surface of the work andintermittently advance the same, a top feed roller and presser meansarranged to engage the upper surface of the work to assist in advancingthe same, a pair of concentric bars telescopically arfor preventingrelative rotation thereof, said 10 guide members being adjustablelaterally in relation to each other, and means for limiting relativeaxial movement between said bars in both directions.

FREDERICK W. BECK. RICHARD JOHN BABKA. RICHARD H. LUICINS.

No references cited.

